Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1″ 2016 Review

I’ve added a short video below so you can see the tablet in action. But please read on for further details and conclusions.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab sits in between the budget Tab E and premium Tab S2. There are both 7″ and 10.1″ versions of the Tab A, with and without 4G. In this article I’m looking at the 2016 10.1″ model, without 4G. This model comes with a full HD 10.1″ screen (1920 x 1200) screen and the latest version of Android (Marshmallow or Android 6.0). The previous version, which is still available confusingly, comes with a lower resolution 9.7″ (1024 x 768) screen and Android 5.0.

What’s included with tablet

First impressions of the tablet are good, with decent build quality and a sharp, bright screen. The casing is plastic but doesn’t feel cheap. Setup is quick and easy, and the tablet feels very responsive, with its octa-core processor. As with most tablets not made for Google, the tablet comes with its own email client and browser which I immediately switched for Gmail and Google Chrome respectively.

The tablet comes with only 16GB of storage built in (10.5GB available) so you’ll need to factor in a microSD card. It’s advisable to install some external storage before you start using the tablet in earnest, since it’s more hassle having to move files around at a later date. The tablet supports up to 200GB microSD cards, but I went for a 64GB Sandisk Extreme which is fast with both small and large files, which is what you want for a tablet.

microSD slot

This latest version of Android also supports adoptable storage which means you can also extend the internal storage using this microSD card which is a great feature. Make sure you get a fast microSD card like the aforementioned one if you are going to do this. [Update: this feature seems to have been removed via the latest Samsung update.]

Performance

For a mid-range tablet, it’s fast with very little lag performing everyday tasks. Loading up most applications and swiping between screens is quick and smooth. I don’t tend to play games on tablets, but did install Colin McCrae Rally and that’s running smoothly with only the occasional hiccup.

Running Geekbench 4 quantitively compares its performance against other tablets. Its single-core performance is decent but its multi-core performance is very impressive. Unfortunately most apps won’t be able to take advantage of this, so the single-core result is probably a better indicator of overall performance.

Geekbench results – single and multi-core results

Connectivity

The tablet has the latest dual band ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2 and even supports ANT+ to connect to your fitness gadgets, which is an unexpected bonus. I tested the ANT+ with my Garmin HR strap and the Strava app and it worked as it should, although I can’t think how I’d ever use this feature on a tablet this size!

It also has GPS and GLONASS (the Russian satellites) built in, which you’ll need to spend a lot more on a 4G enabled Apple tablet to get.

There is support for WiFi Direct which allows mirroring the tablet to a nearby compatible device directly. This worked well with my Roku 2 box and requires almost no setup – just select WiFi Direct in settings and tap the Roku device:

Connecting to compatible WiFi direct device

Samsung software and Kids Mode

The Samsung software builds on Android 6.0 and adds one feature you won’t get until Android 7.0 (Nougat), which is split-screen mode. This isn’t supported on all apps but is a genuinely useful feature on a good sized tablet like this. Hold the switcher icon in say Youtube, and you’ll be able to choose another app that supports this function, for example, Chrome.

Split-screen mode

Kids Mode allows you to hand the tablet over to younger children and configure exactly how they can use it. Strangely it’s not accessible from the lock screen, so they can’t just pick up the tablet and enter the mode themselves. You’ll need to unlock the tablet and click on the Kids Mode app. Once in the app, you can’t exit or change the user without entering your pin.

Kids Mode

You can setup up to 6 accounts and configure what apps are available, choose time limits and view various stats on their activity.

It’s a useful feature, more for letting younger children on the tablet, rather than making it a tablet for children, like the Kindle Fire Kids Edition that my children share.

Camera

The tablet has an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera and supports recording video up to Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) at 30fps. There is a handy LED flash which you don’t always see on tablets, which also doubles as a torch.

I don’t tend to use the camera on tablets for anything other than perhaps selling something on eBay, so have not done any exhaustive testing, but the quality of the pictures and videos are quite acceptable viewing back on the tablet.

Looking closely, photos have a slightly processed appearance:

And in video mode, there is some focus hunting but otherwise fairly good detail for a camera on a tablet:

Conclusions

I’ve used this tablet for almost two months now, having used an iPad previously. Although I’ve picked out a few negative points in the article and below, for my own use I can hardly fault it. The screen is bright and sharp and its performance is superb, as is its battery life.

Having a microSD card slot is a real boon coming from an iPad. Travelling with the children I could easily load up the microSD card with films off my Plex server, just by drag and drop, and play them via the free VLC player.

And I could edit videos directly off my GoPro’s card, just by pulling from the camera and inserting in the card slot.

Considering the cost of this tablet is around half the price of the latest iPad, it represents very good value and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Pros

Bright, good resolution screen

Expandable memory up to 200GB

Excellent battery life

Decent build quality

Full HD video recording

GPS (+ GLONASS) and ANT+

Kids mode convenient for handing over tablet to younger children

Cons

Only 16GB built-in storage (10.5GB available) – microSD recommended

Plastic casing

TFT screen (not IPS – although the 4G model has a PLS screen). Still good screen though

I am on my 3rd Tab A 10.1 SM-T580 since Oct 2016, The first one the screen froze and nothing would work after 4 days , so i took it back to Argos and they changed it no problem, The second one after 3 days started shutting itself down whilst in use, i contacted Samsung, and they sent me an email with steps to try and fix the problem, the first step was a soft reset, I followed the instructions and the tablet froze, and nothing would respond. I took it back to Argos who promptly replaced it. I have had the 3rd one 2 weeks and that is shutting itself down. i am awaiting a reply from Samsung to my concerns by email. What do you think.

I haven’t had an sd card in any of my 4 Tab A 10.1. Samsung only replied to the first email I sent them I have sent many more emails and had no response. This is the 4th Tab A,it’s 3 weeks old and now having the same problems, and I haven’t put many apps on

Have used my tab A 6 3 months. Protective covers have a magnetic edge for auto shut down on closing cover. One must keep the magnet away from the right edge of the tablet. Fold cover and hold with left hand. Left handed use upside down.

I’ve been using my Galaxy tab A for a couple of years now without any glitches. I must admit though, when I first got it, it booted up okay after charging it up, but when I tried to open it up the second time, it refused to wake up.
It was replaced and I’m still using now, two years on.
I rarely use my laptop now, I use the tablet a heck of a lot. I installed a SD card and copied all my music from windows media player on my laptop. Installed Samsung music app which automatically organised all my music files which I play on Bluetooth speakers.
I paid £252.00p and it was the best value, I’ve had my moneys worth ten times over. I use it for online banking, all my purchases and a hundred and one other tasks, including YouTube.
Because I became disabled a couple of years ago, I depend on my Galaxy.
Set for automatic updates, go through all the settings and you will discover loads of options to help you configure your Galaxy to run at 100% efficiency, oh yea, there are a few handy features on the notifications menu with two finger down swipe

My Tab A is a workhorse and I also seldom use my laptop. Sometimes I get upset that this thing just does not have one bad quality so I can go shopping for something new.

I did have an experience where it would shut off right after starting up but I called Samsung and the tech guided me through a complete reset that corrected the glitch. Of course most everything is in the cloud so resetting just cleaned out un-needed junk.

I sure thought that time, I was going to get to go shopping, but no. This baby gets used for banking and also for watching TV, Netflix, editing spreadsheets, word processing and reading eBooks, and it never slows down. Best inexpensive computer I’ve ever had.

Just bought one after having read several positive reviews. Just about to order a 64GB Sandisk Extreme memory card. I’m a little confused by people in some of the comments above saying Samsung have disabled adoptable storage. Is that a different issue?

I have just done the same and to be honest I don’t have a lot of money to throw about as I’m life-long paraplegic, no longer able to work and benefit dependent, so I have a very limited income. I am like you concerned that my new 64gb sd card will not function as required. I may need to shuffle about my apps and only use it for data download with no apps, unless there is a suitable solution to this problem. I will wait and see.

You can still expand the storage with a microSD card. The adoptable storage was a feature (no longer supported) that combined the built in storage with the additional storage to make the user experience more seamless.

Just ensure apps that use lots of storage are directed to the microSD card and you should be ok.

Thanks for this technical review. I just bought mine and was disappointed with the system memory leaving so little usable memory available. Thanks for the information on installing the 64 gb SanDisk Extreme right off. Where else would I have found that important information. It was so hopeful in knowing that you are an iPad user but did not downplay this tab.

First of all I want to say superb blog! I had a quick question which I’d
like to ask if you don’t mind. I was curious to find out how you
center yourself and clear your thoughts before
writing. I have had trouble clearing my thoughts in getting my
thoughts out. I truly do enjoy writing but it just
seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are wasted simply
just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or
hints? Appreciate it!

I have a similar problem to your own, but I have stopped writing right now until I figure out where I have been going wrong. I am a qualified advanced creative writer, and despite that diploma, I have found that I tend to pick apart everything I write, as I seem to have the problem of being highly dissatisfied with my own humble attempts at writing. I cannot work in the mainstream any more as I am a walking paraplegic, and though I am also a trained arts & crafts instructor, current government restrictions forbid me to follow this career even though I became less able to work.
Writing is all that I now have, but as the man said, it is a matter of application, applying one’s bum to a chair and getting on with it. That is my intention and the only advice that I offer.

Good review. This is my fourth Samsung tablet. This one though surprises me on a daily basis. I’m getting a little older and the eyes aren’t quite what the were a decade or so ago. The size of this tablet coupled with the clarity of the display were very welcomed.

I’ve been playing with tech since back in the days of 8086 computers. So in all honesty I know more than enough to be dangerous, and my curiosity level is still working well enough I can’t help but mess with stuff. That said when I bought this tablet I went ahead and picked up a Samsung EVO 128 GB micro SD. I bought it because I wanted the extra storage and the EVO cards are fast. That all worked well for about two days. At that point I hooked the tablet up to my laptop, opened a adb shell and enabled adoptable storage. Now I have a really nice tablet I bought at a pretty good price and for all intents and purposes it now has 119 GB of internal storage.

I really can’t find slot about this tablet to complain about. For the most part I went into the application manager and just disabled the bloat installed by Samsung. I installed Nova Launcher along with the Asus File Manager and set the environment up to my liking. I installed a few other apps I like along with along. Just to see if I could make it working downloaded the app files for Allo and Duo and installed them using my cell number. I also installed Hangouts dialer and set the outgoing caller ID to match my cell. So now I have a pretty nice tablet that if I have WiFi available I can text, make video calls, and make phone calls from.

I have it set up for productivity with Google Keep and Google Calendar along with Microsoft Office. It is like carrying around a little office. When I get good and bored I also have Kodi installed do I can relax and watch a movie or TV show.

Wow thanks! I paid the extra for the Samsung because I thought I would get a better product, . Unfortunately that has not been the case. It seems there is a problem between Gmail or Google and Samsung. No matter what I do, it won’t let me add my second email account, despite the fact that in Google they are clearly tied together as one account. While I’m not an expert with apps, I’m not a newbie either.

The adoptable memory sound good, but do remember that one adopted, it is not to be removed. This disable you from taking out the SD card. I often do this for my SD cards, and then editing the cards’ contents on my notebook/PC using a faster USB3 adaptor. Because adopted SD card is liken to Harddisk RAID 0, which makes the chain of disks as one single disk. There are more risks than their usefulness. I would recommend keeping them as System Memory and External SD card, which will still function, as long as you do what Gidon advice – install the SD card first and set the option to use the SD card memory.

Hi this is a very helpful review, thankyou. I have no experience of anything except my old Hudl. Would you mind confirming if this Samsung will cover me well for a 3 week holiday where I will not have frequent wifi access so want to travel light but get the following without the battery dying on me – i.e. 8 hours a day would be great: wifi for emailing family, skype, overdrive app to read my library books, kindle ap to read yet more books, enough storage to download a few films to watch offline. I am a very basic user and not sure if I need to spend this much to get what I want. I would get the SD card which you have mentioned to extend memory.

I was very surprised when my Galaxy Tab A clamped its self onto the top of my PC when charging it. It also makes a very big Fridge Magnet.. I have Googled arround but there is no mention of why the back is so powerfully magnetic particularly, as you say, it is a plastic case. What is inside that acts as a very powerful magnet?

I got one this March for college purposes and I’d say it’s pretty awesome. I got this tablet with S pen and the speed and resolution for everyday use is perfect! My disappointment is that it has Samsung Note instead of S Note and it doesn’t allow me to download from the store. Plus, apparently Microsoft OneNote doesn’t let android users have complete use of the app, limiting some functions, which is a big letdown for college students like me who bought it for note taking purpose

I have a problem and need some advice from somebody familiar with the Samsung Tab A 10.1 and it’s USB activities. I have valuable audio files on an older digital voice recorder from my university days that I need to copy, convert to an updated file format and store on a dongle that I bought for problem resolution files and for this particular data. I tried to plug the dictafone in to the tab A using the standard Micro to Mini port cable, but the Tab A doesn’t seem to recognise the device. The DVR is the Olympus DS-40. Is there anyone out their who can help me out with this problem?

Battery life seems ok after 3 months usage. My previous tab 3 battery was going down after much usage and I tried to replace myself with an inferior make. Fiddling inside I broke a connector and ruined the tablet. How best to get a new battery fitted? The micro usb connector can be a touch weak and wobbly. Some connectors fit better than others? ipads score on connectors being bigger and more robust?

I have had my 10.1 tab A6 for several months and use it a lot . I wrecked my previous tab 3 while trying to replace the battery, though with the right tools and care battery replacement is not so difficult. I use my index finger to control things which works fine, even with a protection screen applied. I prefer this tablet to chrome books I have bought. The screen is longer and narrower than other tablets giving it greater versatility than squarer formats. Why pay more?

Cool review, I have had one for a while now, however lately I’ve been unimpressed with connectivity. WIFI appears sluggish. I’ve literally just upgraded to Nougat so hoping to see an improvement. Would or can you recommend any of the following: terminal emulator compatible with Andriod v7.0 and trustworthy diagnostics app..?

I use WiFi Analyzer which is useful for diagnostics. If you have multiple wireless access points in your house, the tablet does try and hold onto the AP it’s on before handing over for longer than I’d like. But I find that with many device.

Very good review with logical tips, have bought one of these as my current tablet, Fire HD, is a bit wee for me now(almost not been switched off for over 5 years). New samsung should be here in a couple of days, will update later.

Hi – thank you for the thorough review of the tablet. I have been eyeing this model for a few months now; reading reviews for comparison of proformance, etc. I have seen alot of complaints about the shutdowns, but the covers with magents is the issue of the item shutting down, which makes sense, so that’s a relief.

As I understand how to use SD cards, what would you suggest to store on it – can apps be stored on the card and used; or just documents?

And, why is it that it only comes in 16GB – that seems a bit limited to run such a powerful device??

I’ve not had any issues with mine and the 16GB of built-in storage is not an issue for me. I use the tablet with a 64GB micro-SD card.

You can store pretty much anything on the SD card if you like, but I store apps on the internal storage and use the SD card for almost everything else. You can move things around at a later date as needed.

Hi Gidon, first off thanks for a great review on the device. I just purchased it, but have noticed that under display settings I don’t have the option for different screen modes or adaptive display function. Any tips on this? It is currently updated to Nougat. Thanks

I have a samsung galaxy tab A 10.1 as a birthday gift and this is the second one in less than 2 years
it just not coming on tho charged.
The first on the face just went blank.
Both were bought from Amazon.com

Bought Samsung SM-T 585 with SD 65GB because was recommended. SD inserted and seen as storage. Problem arise because I can not download files or even partially data of app’s. Checked as per manual, but settings in storage not appearing. Trying all with my knowledge.
Anybody to assist me?

Why does it say on the box that this product has a chemical that causes cancer or other reproductive defects? Is it safe to use? I gave it as a gift to my son. I want to make sure. Thank you for your help

I discharged the battery as instructed, but the charge took over 4 hours. Can’t comment on life as it just finished charging. Updated review – unlike my OEM Samsung battery, this one requires a genuine Samsung charger (as stipulated in the product details). Now charges in about an hour. Also, I am very impressed with the battery life, nearly 2 days between charges. I can’t give it 5 stars, as I need to be able to charge in my car & from other USB sources.

Gidon’s obsession with technology began at an early age with a BBC B Micro computer. After working for 12 years at British Telecom travelling around the world as a technology researcher he opened a technology retail store in Tavistock in Devon, selling the latest tech and offering IT services to residential and business customers. Read More…

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